Deb Dickerson-Pogue

Background

Deb Dickerson-Pogue (legal name Deborah Ann Dickerson-Pogue) is a teacher with 30 years of classroom experience across high-school and elementary levels, including English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teaching and special-education work. She is a former vice-president of the Central Okanagan Parents' Advisory Council (COPAC), and cites work with the Multi-Cultural Centre in Kelowna.

• debdickersonpogue.com https://debdickersonpogue.com

2026 Campaign

Dickerson-Pogue is running for one of the four school-trustee seats on the Kelowna ballot. Her campaign website is debdickersonpogue.com, and she campaigns on Facebook as "Vote for Deb - School Trustee." Her tagline is "Our Students. Our Schools. Our Community."

Her stated priorities are strong public schools, support for students at every stage, multicultural understanding, and ESL and special-education support. On why she is running, she has said: "I am running for School Trustee because I am committed to seeing our students become excellent members of our community."

• debdickersonpogue.com https://debdickersonpogue.com

In an Oct. 7, 2026 Castanet candidate Q&A, she added an emphasis on academics and "real world" readiness, saying that amid computers and AI, "students need to know the basics of how we got to an answer" (candidate-self-report, edited by the outlet).

• Castanet, Oct 7, 2026 https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/633478/Meet-the-Kelowna-school-trusteee-candidates

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Questionnaire responses

Answers to the standardized Kelowna Elections questionnaire, sent in identical form to every school trustee candidate. Published verbatim; received 2026-10-02.

1. Student learning & wellbeing

Students need to understand what areas they are successful in and where they are in need of improvement. The addition of grading at below grade 10 needs to be implemented. It is not fair for a student or parents to not be receiving adequate knowledge of where they stand in regards to the amount of knowledge they have or have not learned until this level. Math and English are the main areas that students cannot be expected to undertake without knowing the basics of the previous year.

2. Growth & school space

The School Board has recently passed their plans for the following 5 years. These plans are now up to the province. This includes new Middle/Secondary schools for Central and West Kelowna, new Elementary schools for Smith Creek, Lake Country and Wilden and University area. There are improvements for 4 other schools and site purchasing for 3 elementary schools and replacement plans for Genmore (the oldest school in our district), and Raymer. Of course we have seen large growth in our area and the question remains can the city improve the infrastructure fast enough for the growth.

3. Safe & inclusive schools

All students need to be safe in our school system. It is the responsibility of Principals, Teachers and support staff to be mindful of the day to day activities in the school. As a past teacher I am aware that bullies do not go unnoticed. The adoption of reporting policies should be made aware to both students and staff. I do not believe that this means centering anyone out but by treating all students equally with a policy of No Bullying and no tolerance for bullying this is the objective of my stand. I do not feel that SOGI 123 should be as it stands. The premise of anti-bullying as was outlined in SOGI 1 and 2 were notable but the inclusion of materials that are not approved by many parents is not acceptable to me.

4. Support for students who need more

I taught Special Education for 7 years so I am aware of the problems that face students with additional needs. Students with learning differences sometimes need a different environment, teaching approach or scheduling for learning and individual teaching. At the present time more Educational Assistants are in the system than previously. I am not suggesting that we have more students with special needs or that they have been misdiagnosed but the reality is that these children need to be provided with the resources for success. The resources must be shared across the district and it is unlikely, due to funding, that each school will have the same resources. Where a disability falls under medical this funding needs to be provided by the province, and where educational assistants can provide adequate aid the funding still comes from the province. Parents have learned that much of their hard work supporting their child's needs is a lengthy process. It is my hope that in providing sufficient learning support in the district that each child will be able to reach their goals.

5. Budget & funding

The province is aware of the low math grades of this district. Funding needs to address this problem and find a solution. Math cannot be solved with an increased expenditure in AI for the classroom. Qualified mathematicians need to train the teacher on math methods that will give positive results. A completion of construction for new schools and upgrades are necessary.

6. Indigenous education & reconciliation

I think teaching the history of the Indigenous nations of Canada is very important. We must ensure that materials are accurate and provide students with the history needed to build positive and encouraging knowledge of the bond between all. Reconciliation with compassion and understanding is an important role for our whole community.